Farewell Swords
by Bamba
Summary: a story of strange feelings and sweet air -  *slow romance* - rating might change - IchiRuki 3
1. Normality & Sweetness

_I DO NOT OWN BLEACH  
KUBO TITE DOES!_

_**Normality Façade **_

_**& Overwhelming Sweetness**_

_It's bright…  
_The sun that came from outside the window, shining on Ichigo's face, was bothering him. He opened one eye, squinting, unwillingly straightened and sat up. Stretching his limbs, his body felt unbearably stiff. Even though he was so tired last night he couldn't get a descent sleep, he could feel it in his neck and back, and mostly in his head… it's definitely going to be a long day.

As he came to his senses he got a strange feeling, an unwelcome shiver went down his spine. He didn't dislike it, but didn't quite understand what it meant. The room wasn't colder than usual, the air not thicker than usual, everything was just as it was any other day. It seemed to be just another normal morning following a normal night that followed a normal day in a normal life that was his for a period of timed that looked longer than eternity.

Ichigo took a minute to look around his room; there was nothing different from yesterday. He stood up and turned around, looking outside the window, the scenery was also the same as it always was. Ichigo, still not quite awake, stared blankly outside his window. As the seconds passed he came to think all the greenery at the foot of his house was somewhat greener than it has usually been; the flowers had a color more vivid than he could remember having before; the sun was brighter than it usually was in this ridiculously early time of the day, or so he thought. He dismissed it, thinking he couldn't remembered the last time he was so engrossed with the view outside his room, but it surly was a nice day outside.

Ichigo went out of his room to the bathroom as he always did, brushed his teeth and washed his face like in every other morning. He looked in the mirror and moved three fingers along his jaw line to his chin and grimaced to the feel of it.  
_What a pain…  
_He opened the medicine cabinet, reluctantly grabbing his razor, and then closed it with a sigh. He brought his face closer to the mirror to have a better look; it wasn't so bad, actually, his stubble could wait for tomorrow, it was a Saturday anyways. He opened the cabinet again and put the razor back in its place.

He went out of the bathroom and started pacing back to his room. Again, he felt that same strange vibe as his right foot stepped across the threshold. Scratching the back of his head and feeling rather confused, he couldn't decipher what it was or where it came from. Once again he walked to the window; the view was so colorful and vivid in a manner that seemed odd to him. Ichigo reached to it, turning the handle to open.

A fog of sweet breeze rushed in, he instinctively closed his eyes and let his entire being be wrapped in it, breathing it to the depth of his lungs and holding the tingle of sweetness for a few seconds, then letting it out in what was only but a tormented sigh. A fine day indeed.

This strangely sweet air made his unexplainable sensation only stronger, he felt it in every part of his body, even the tips of this fingers. He looked at his palm silently and closed his fingers in a tight fist, then opening it again. This strange air made him somewhat energetic, forgetting his fatigue almost completely. He stripped to his underwear, putting on black pants, a white T-shirt and a gray hoodie. He closed the window, feeling the refreshing air fading all at once as he did so, and went out of the room quietly; it was too early for anyone of his family members to be awake on a Saturday. He went downstairs and put on his snickers, thinking this is a nice chance to jog.

Stepping outside and closing the door behind him, Ichigo felt the sweet air surrounding him, it felt nice everywhere it touched his bare skin, an almost invisible smile formed on his lips, and he started running. As he raised the speed and worked out a pant the air that filled his entire body pushed him to run faster, so he would consume as much of it as he could in each gasp. He kept running and running, wishing he could go on forever. As he ran along he noticed not only the greenery and flowers he saw from his window were so much more lively than they usually are, everything he passed by gave him the same impression; delicate petals seemed like they were freshly painted the perfect color overnight; leaves covering tall trees- the greenest green he ever saw, full of vitality. Even the skies were the gentlest blue he witnessed, and the clouds were a shade of creamy white, as soft as cotton. He felt like he was looking at his surroundings, that he passed by every single day, for the first time.

Ichigo came to a halt as he passed by a small meadow; the lawn was so green that he wanted to touch it, to know the feel of it. As he thought it was unimaginably soft.  
_What the heck, just a while wouldn't hurt.  
_Ichigo lay on the grass and spread his legs and arms, watching the beautiful blue of the sky, letting the sweet breeze cool his damp skin. Not a minute passed and he had already drifted into a deep sleep.

* * *

"oi… oi!"

_What the…  
_Ichigo opened his eyes; it was no longer bright outside.

"Hey, you awake? I thought you were dead." a familiar voice said, Ichigo couldn't decide if his tone was insulting or merely amused.

"Shut up." He said, still drowsy, while sitting up reluctantly. "What time is it?"

"It's 17:30. You slept so soundly, I really wanted to kick you." The voice said in a taunting tone. Ichigo could only imagine the smug patronizing grin this person might have plastered on his face.

_17:30?  
_Ichigo ignored the commentary, too shocked to realize he has been sleeping on the lawn for about 10 hours. He stood on his feet, brushing away grass and dirt that stuck to his clothes. He looked at the spot he occupied and was amazed to discover a dent in his form, he didn't even move from the position he was in when he first lay there. He never stayed still while sleeping, always tossing and turning.  
"Yeah, well. I'm off now." He said dryly as he started walking away.  
"Hey! What's that suppose…" he was cut off mid sentence.  
"Bye, Jinta." Ichigo waved briefly, not turning to meet the other's eyes, leaving Jinta standing there to watch his back while he was getting farther away in hurried steps.

Though quite inevitable, Ichigo wished to keep somewhat of a distance from people who had anything to do with his past. Karakura was a rather small town; there was no helping undesirable meeting such as this. Unfortunate as it was, it wasn't so hard to deal with it as it was for him to share school with students that once considered him their nakama. That person was no more, the thought of that was too painful, a pain he couldn't completely ignore or forget as his family also possessed powers he once had, and now desired more than anything. Never admitting this pain to anyone, sticking to the façade of normality, pretending to be fine as he is, this is a show he was going to keep for a long time, and it was tiring.

Walking back home Ichigo noticed something was different, all the colors went back to being the dull color they were before; the sweet air that gave him so much energy was no more. Everything was back to normal, and he didn't care much for that.

"I'm home", he opened the door and walked in, getting out of his snickers. The house was unusually quite for this hour of the day, not a sound came from the kitchen, living room or bedrooms upstairs. There was no one there. He didn't think much of that and climbed up the stairs, the only thing he wanted to do was get a shower. He opened the door to his room and it hit him. This strange felling never left his room. It was weird to think a "feeling" possess his room, but he couldn't explain the fact that it resides only in his room in any other way.

This thought was also dismissed. Ichigo could no longer participate in games of haunted houses; it was ridiculous thinking over it after so long. He blamed it on the weird day he had, it must have been one of those days nothing goes quite as it should. There's nothing much to think of it.

He sat on the floor besides his bed; much like the sweet air this "feeling" had an effect on him, it was hard to compare the two, since the one in his room was so much more condensed while the air outside was freely twirling, having no walls to restrict it. The strange feeling made him somewhat relaxed; he just wanted to lie down, as if he did not sleep for 10 hours shortly after waking up. He took a pillow off his bed and placed it on the floor, putting his head on top of it. Much like before, it hasn't been even a minute and he was already dozing off. It felt good, his entire body going numb as if great force pressed down on it, obliging him to stay put and get a rest. Strange as it was, since he heard no noise but his own leveled breathing, he felt as if there was someone right next to him. He opened his eyes to make sure he was just imagining thing, and as he thought there was no one there. He closed his eyes and the sweetest fog attacked his nose, filled his lungs entirely with this passionate gentle sweetness as he drafted into deep calm sleep.

_

* * *

_

It's bright…

He thought as gentle rays caressed his face.

Ichigo opened his eyes to discover another day has come. It was quite early in the morning and it took him some time to come to the conclusion that he has been awake for no longer than 3 hours the day before. This was too bizarre, usually he would sleep merely 6 hours a night, and it was never the rest he'd hoped for, nevertheless he could never catch up to his missing hours, not even on weekends. He sat up on the hard surface, unbelievable as it was, to top it all, he was sleeping on the floor. He turned to pick up the pillow as he discovered it was covered with dirt and random pieces of grass. He ran his fingers through his hair and sure enough, that's where it came from. He got up on his feet and paced to the closet to get a new cover for the pillow. He slid the door open as a wave of immense force brought him to his knees, almost gasping for air as it thickened and made it nearly impossible to breath.

_N…no way…  
_This force was similar to something he once knew, something that he was never meant to feel again, something he once possessed and missed miserably.  
It was a tingle of reiatsu he sensed, engulfed with the now too thick strange sweet air that took over the room the day before, and one that he could never forget, or so he thought.

_No freaking way…impossible  
_His eyes were staring holes in the floor as he sank deep in confusion. It was hard to breath and so much harder to move, yet he gathered every bit of strength that he had to shut that door closed. The air in the room lightened a bit, but Ichigo couldn't bring himself to move, like he was glued to his place on the floor, bending over his knees. He shook with dread, there was no way, and there really was no way. He gulped, his fingers formed tight fists, he shut his eyes and took a deep breath, knowing how he would regret what he was about to say, one name he hadn't said for months over months, a name with too many painful memories that were nothing but that.

"Rukia…?"

* * *

may the gods bring Rukia-sama back to us as soon as possible.

:)


	2. Sweet & Empty

I wanted to take this chance and thank everyone that read the first chapter... I'm so happy  
I would also want to apologize for my English, its not my native language... but I'm doing my best!****

* * *

BLEACH IS KUBO TITE'S AND HIS ALONE!  
THAT'S WHY WE LOVE HIM

**_Sweet Pain_**

**_& Empty House_**

"Rukia…?" the name slipped through quivering lips in a soft inaudible whisper.

As he thought, he regretted it as soon as he said it.

"Ha… haha" he snickered morbidly in a pained tone.

_How ridiculous, this is so stupid.  
_He gathered all the strength he needed so get up and dashed out of his room, shutting the door behind him, hoping the next time he stepped inside nothing of this unexplainable and uncalled for sweetness will disappear.

There was no way what he sensed had even just a shred of reiatsu in it. Ichigo couldn't sense reiatsu, period. He couldn't feel it from his father, sisters or friends. He couldn't feel Jinta standing above his head for who knows how long yesterday, he was completely normal now. Then what was it? What could it possibly be?

Ichigo was now completely irritated, there's no way what he felt indicates there's someone not quite alive in his room, he used to see ghost for years, they possessed his room and his house and followed him around, but it never felt even similar to what he's been feeling since yesterday. And why, for heaven's sake, why does it feel so unbearably sweet?

Ichigo ran downstairs, there was no way he was the only one feeling it, his sisters and father must have felt it too and maybe they knew what it was. Though he didn't like speaking about those matters with anyone, not even thinking about them, he decided this situation was too strange and uncomfortable to just ignore it.

Ichigo could hear someone in the kitchen. It was probably Yuzu making breakfast. He paced down the corridor and sure enough, it was her, turning around in surprise.

"Good morning Onii-chan! You're early! Are you hungry?" she said, smiling happily. How can someone related to him be so enthusiastic this early in the morning?

"Yeah… is dad up yet?" he replied as he set himself in the closest chair.

Yuzu was already used to him being grumpy in the mornings, usually he didn't sleep too well and it definitely took its toll on him. Sometimes she could hear him turning endlessly in his bed when she got up to fetch a glass of water or use the bathroom, but today he seemed different, he wasn't as grumpy, he was mostly annoyed. It seemed to her he was concentrating really hard on something that was beyond his understanding.

"Yes, he is. He just went out a few minutes ago; I think he'll be back soon enough." She answered obediently, smiling at his never fading frown.

_Out? It's still 8 AM  
_Ichigo tried to think where his father could possibly go in this time of the day before even having breakfast. Who in his right mind wanted to see his idiotic face first thing on a Sunday morning?

"Say, Yuzu, where have you all been yesterday? I came back around 18:00 and no one was here." He asked her as she finished her cooking, loading one plate with 3 fried eggs and 2 toasts, placing it on the table in front of him along with a cup of hot coffee, in hope this might help wake him up and lighten his mood.

She raised her face to look at his and was surprised to see him so solemn, waiting for her answer.

"W… What are you talking about?" Yuzu knew she shouldn't answer a question with a question, but she couldn't find another thing to say.

Ichigo looked as she lost her smile and replaces it with a worried expression, did he say something he shouldn't have said?

"I'm asking where you were yesterday around 18:00, I came back and the 3 of you weren't here." He answered, trying to soften his tone and expression seeing her confusion. Her face changed once more, this time he felt she was looking at him as if he were crazy for asking that.

"But… Onii-chan…" she stammered looking really concerned.

"Are you an idiot? We were right here. You just barged in and went straight upstairs, you stupid brother." Karin said from behind and smacked him on the back of his head, then settled in a chair besides him. He glared at her in disbelief.  
_How is that even possible?  
_

"It's true; you just went up to your room. You were sleeping on the floor when we came with your dinner, we tried to wake you but you just kept sleeping…" Yuzu added. This part he could believe.

"Now, that was freaky." Karin said as she casually reached her hand to his plate and grabbed a toast.

"Karin-chan! Don't be rude!" Yuzu scolded while placing a plate in front of her twin sister, and another piece of toasted bread on Ichigo's plate.

He was positive there was no one home when he came back, he didn't hear a sound coming from either of the rooms, and he didn't see any of them. How can someone miss the existence of 3 living people? But he knew what he could blame it on.

He remember that just before falling asleep he sensed someone was with him in the room, maybe what he sensed was his sisters as they came in. everything was possible at that point.

"Say, you two, have you sensed anything weird when you came in my room yesterday?" he questioned, there was no way he, who had not even a tincture of power left in him, has been the only one to feel it. If there was something in the room Karin would definitely know, and Yuzu, though her spiritual power is not as strong, should also be able sense the presence of spiritual pressure.  
The twins looked at him for a few seconds, then at each other. Ichigo couldn't understand the meaning of their expressions.

"Why, is there something wrong?" Yuzu turned her face to him and asked in an innocent tone. Ichigo noticed she answered his question with another for a second time, which was uncharacteristic of her.

"Not really", he lied casually.

"Everything was absolutely normal. You have nothing to worry about, Ichi-nii." Karin smiled softly. Though he felt her answer was genuine Ichigo couldn't help it but wonder if there was a deeper meaning to it than he thought, but he left it at that. Normal is good; normal is the same as always, just as it should be. The strange feeling he's been having since yesterday must have been a fruit of his mind, and he probably collapsed this morning because he didn't have anything to eat the day before. It all made perfectly sense.

"Oh, I see. Itadakimasu." He sighed in relief and started eating his eggs.  
_Maybe I should ask the old man, just in case._

* * *

I miss Rukia-tan.  
I really want her to come back, and she's even taking her time in my story!

:)


	3. A Little Mystery

**SOME PEOPLE MIGHT CONSIDER MY NONSENSE HERE AND AT THE ENDS OF THE CHAPTER AS SPOILERS. PLEASE DONT READ THOSE IF YOU DIDNT READ CHAPTER 436 YET. GO STRAIGHT TO THE STORY AND IGNORE ME...**

__

thank you for reading my story... I really am very happy...  
I also want to thank 2 special readers!  
**lilica**- thank you for noticing I was trying to keep ichigo in character! it's really important to me :)  
**jhalya**- thank you for bringing back Rukia! how did you know? I knew Kubo-sensei would make her so much more beautiful and gentle in Ichigo's memories... he is a master of subtle romance!

I have a message at the bottom, make sure you read it!

* * *

__

KUBO TITE IS A FREAKING GENIUS!

_**A Sweet Mystery**_

_**& A Little Sister**_

The three siblings were sitting at the table and eating their breakfast. Ichigo kept wondering what was taking his father so damn long to come back. Who is it that he might be visiting right now? Maybe there's a chance it has something to do with the strange things that's been happening since yesterday? If something really is wrong he is bound to know.

_Huh?  
_Suddenly Ichigo felt the peculiar force that's been occupying his room taking over the kitchen little by little, and it got more intense with every passing second.

"What... The hell... is this...?" He struggled to get the words out of his mouth as he froze in his seat. Again, it was getting painful to breath. Karin and Yuzu looked at him with terror to see his tormented expression.

Ichigo tried to stand up and run away from this painful yet sweet feeling that was smuggling him, but it was in vain. Instead he found himself on the floor, unable to move an inch.

_How the hell can they not be feeling this?  
_He thought, looking at his sisters who were on the floor, kneeling besides him.

"What is it Ichi-nii?" Karin sounded horrified, but he could no longer see either of the twins, nor hear them.

* * *

"Ichigo! Wake up or I'll smack you!"

2 hands that belonged to the world's greatest idiot were tightly grasping the collar of his shirt, shaking his head back and forth when his right cheek was slapped so hard he thought his eye would pop out of its place. He opened his eyes to discover his father's face right in front of his.

"Ugh… too close!" Ichigo shouted and kicked his father to the floor and out of his way, then set up and rubbed his cheek to calm the throbbing.

"How dare you scare my precious daughters to that degree? What would Daddy do if they died and the only thing I would have had left was that idiot son of mine? Oh, Masaki…"

"Shut up!" Karin whacked him on his head with her fist.

"Are you alright, Onii-chan? You were so pale", Yuzu asked. Ichigo raised his gaze to her face; it was obvious she cried not long ago. She reached her palm to his forehead, he didn't have a fever.

"I'm fine", he smiled in hope it would calm her down.

"How long was I out?" he turned to Karin, she had a concerned look on her face.

"Not long, maybe 10 minutes. We tried to wake you but you didn't respond", she answered. "But I don't understand what happened, you were perfectly fine just a while ago, suddenly you turned completely white and passed out. Do you feel sick, Ichi-nii?", she questioned him.

_That's weird, was I really the only one to feel it?  
_"No worries, I just felt dizzy. I'm fine now, see?" he stood up and punched the old man right in the gut.

"Ah… that felt great." He dashed upstairs snickering while his father curled up on the floor moaning in pain.

"S… so cruel…" Isshin whimpered. He knew very well his son lost all his spiritual powers long ago, but for some reason his ridiculously inhuman physical strength and speed remained.

"Well, dad… you started it."

"Yuzu, it's not nice to kick a person when he's down. Don't you feel sorry for Daddy?" he looked at his youngest daughter with what he thought were cute puppy dog eyes.

"Yeah, right. You deserved it for being an idiot. And that face is disgusting." Karin stated as she left both of her father and sister in the kitchen in order to pay Ichigo a visit in his room. She could hear her father whining at the background and being scolded by her sister for his improper behavior. Some things never change.

* * *

Ichigo ran up the stairs. He felt as good as new, but couldn't be more confused. It seems as if he's the only one feeling what ever it is that was dwelling in their house.

Something wasn't right.

He stood inform of the door, staring at it. He placed a hesitant palm in the doorknob, but didn't open it right away.

"What are you doing?" a curious voice asked from behind. "You forgot how to open a door?" she teased, eyeing his hand holding the handle, it was trembling.

"Hey, let me do it." Karin said and pushed him away. There weren't many things that made her big brother so unconfident, especially when it came to a simple task as that.

Ichigo watched his sister's face closely as she opened the door to his room. She stepped inside, looking around, she didn't even flinch. He thought maybe it was already gone and stepped inside, following after her. This time he was caught completely unprepared, the air was thicker than before. If he could see it, he thought it would probably be like thousands of colorful tiny fairies floating around him, occasionally fluttering their wing across his face, brushing against his hair. It was so sweet and warm, Ichigo felt so relaxed he could fall asleep standing. He raised his face and closed his eyes, filling his body with invisible tiny fairies of colors he never knew existed.

"…go. Ichigo!" a loud shout forcibly dragged him out of this pleasant trance. He opened his eyes and blinked once, lowering his head so he could meet Karin's eyes.

"What the hell is wrong with you? I called your name over and over, it's like I wasn't even here!" she pouted.

_What the hell is wrong with me, that's what _**I **_want to know.  
_"Sorry, I was thinking about something else", he apologized, looking away from her face. Karin sighed and dropped her face to the floor, spotting a pillow in a dirty cover.

"Why did you put mud on it?" she said, picking it off the floor. "Tsk…Yuzu wouldn't like it." she mumbled to herself, turning away from him to the closet and opened its door.

"NO!", Ichigo screamed and instantly fell to his knees, all the strength he had was sucked away the minute she'd opened it. Karin looked over her shoulder, horrified to find her brother- the strongest person she knew and looked up to, shivering on the floor, his fingers tightly wrapped around his shirt's collar, pulling on it, as if it was stopping him from breathing properly. He was obviously in pain; the veins on his neck and arms were trying to burst his skin, its healthy color turning into a mixture of pale greenish blue and pink in a matter of seconds. She hurried to his side with tears in her eyes.

"What is it? Tell me!" she pleaded, grabbing his hands that were deforming the shirt entirely.

_She really can't feel it, can she?  
_"th… the clo… set…" he just barely managed to get the words out in a hoarse whisper. Ichigo couldn't decide what caused this difficulty to breathe, was it because there's too much of this sweet air, or not enough of it? He closed his eyes as he fell on his stomach to the floor.

"Ichi-nii!" Karin cried desperately.

_Shit._

* * *

__

I swear in Urahara's hat this was the last time Ichigo passed out like a wuss without knowing why! 3 chapters are long enough for him to rest... he should be prepared for lack of sleep, i'm going to get back at him!  
I apologize to anyone that's been annoyed by this...

on another subject... was I the only one fangirling all over the plce today while reading 346? i wish to brake the hearts and hopes of endless IchiHime shippers! ICHIRUKI IS CANON! ask Kubo Tite, he's shipping ichiruki too!


	4. Daddy's Pump

as always, I want to thank everyone who reads my story, hugs and kisses to all of you :)

_

* * *

_

_KUBO TITE OWNS BLEACH!_

**_Daddy_**

**_& A Tiny Pump  
_**

Karin got up immediately and shut the closet door. Ichigo felt as if a ton of rocks was taken off his back, his heart was thumping so hard and he gasped for air, but except for being exhausted he was perfectly fine.

Planting both his hands in the floor to support his body weight, he pushed himself up. He still didn't have enough strength to stand up and remained seated on the floor, leaning against his bed.

"Call dad." He said, panting, wearing his most serious face.

"Ichi…"

"Please." He looked at Karin with an apologetic smile. He needed to have this conversation with his old man, and he needed to do it now.

She sighed and stood up, leaving him in his room. He could hear her light footsteps hurrying down the stairs. He didn't have the chance to count till ten and Isshin was already in his room, sitting on the floor in front of his son. He didn't say a word, just looked Ichigo in the eye, waiting for him to take the initiative.

_Let's get this over with.  
_Ichigo let out a sigh and scratched his head; he wasn't happy with this situation.

"I feel strange energy in this room." he started, going straight to the point.

Isshin measured every gesture Ichigo made while talking about this subject, it was so rare for him to be willing to discuss it, and Isshin didn't want to say anything that would frustrate or upset him more than necessary.

"I see. Since when?" he questioned carefully.

It was weird for him so see his father so serious all of a sudden, it wasn't like him.

_Something is definitely off.  
_"Yesterday morning."

Isshin's eyes widened in astonishment right away, staring at his boy silently.

"Heh…" a suspicious smile formed on his lips as he scratched his beard. "No one thought you'd be this fast." He mumbled behind his grin.

_So he did know about this, that damn idiot._

"What are you talking about? Spit it." Ichigo lost his never lasting patience.

"Very well." Isshin smiled calmly and took a deep breath. He searched for the right words to deal with this delicate situation, but there were none.

"Recently, for the last few weeks, I have been feeling your presence." The father started, hoping it will go well. Ichigo just stared at him, waiting for him to continue and explain whatever that's been going on since yesterday.

"Since you lost your abilities 18 months ago your spiritual powers didn't make any considerable progress." Isshim paused as Ichigo grimaced, his eyes frozen on his father's.

"But for the last 5 months your reiatsu has been growing, though very slowly, but it surely is reconstructing itself. The progress you made for the last few weeks was quite impressive, actually." Isshin smiled at his son softly as he saw something lights up in Ichigo's eyes. He didn't see it for too long.

"Why tell me now?" Ichigo asked while keeping his childlike expression he wasn't aware of. Isshin chuckled; his 17 years old son could be strangely cute at times.

"There was no reason to; we didn't plan on telling you even now, but since…"

" 'We' ?" Ichigo didn't let his father finish the sentence and threw another question in. Who else? Everyone around him probably felt it, but no one said a word, not even his friends. Why?

"I consulted Urahara about your situation, we were worried you might start attracting hollows and wouldn't be able to defend yourself, so he came up with an idea." Isshin said with confidence, it was obvious he is more than happy with this "idea".

"We decided to place a device that would help disguise your spiritual presence in your room. Urahara made it especially for you! Maybe he would name it after you? That would be nice… daddy is so proud!"

Raising a long leg, Ichigo shoved his foot right in his father's face.

"You were saying?" Ichigo muttered, pushing his foot harder to his cheek.

"Oh, right." Ichigo put his foot down, seeing his father was back to serious mode.

"The device." he coughed once. "This item is a miniature sized pump, which works like a tiny heart. This pump absorbs any amount of reiatsu that's being released in its domain, which is your room, then generates it back in a form of a barrier that protects its domain and whoever is in it, making both unnoticeable for any existence."

_This is so absurd it actually makes sense  
_"There's another good thing about this device. Since your powers are only just recovering and on a level you yourself cannot control it or feel it yet, this little pump is consuming a considerable part of your released reiatsu while you're asleep, when it flows freely. This way it makes the amount you release during the day subside to a level that wouldn't put you or your surroundings in danger while you are out of your room."

_So this is how it was…  
_"Why the closet?" Ichigo asked. He didn't mind about them putting this pump in his room without telling him, it actually was a good idea since he couldn't see or feel spiritual beings, and even less fight them back, it would be a serious problem if he starts attracting hollows.

"Since it's rare for you to open it, usually Yuzu is the one to change the sheets and air the futons, so I figured it would be safest there. This pump is fragile and expensive, it is one of a kind, we can't place it just anywhere, and with your wild nature it's more than likely that you'll destroy it if we did that."

"You mean with YOUR wild ways of waking me up, you idiot." A vain popped on Ichigo's forehead; he was just about to snap.

"When did you install it?" Ichigo wondered, trying to calm himself and keep his mind in this conversation, which was of great importance to his new situation.

"You went missing for 10 hours yesterday. Jinta-kun made sure you won't come back until we're done. It was so convenient that you just slept like a breathing corpse in the streets. Jinta-kun said you scared too many people. You put all you have in raising your kids and this is what you get for all the hard work…" he sighed.

"That's' it! I'm gonna beat you to a pulp ya lunatic geezer!" he finally snapped and jumped his father, knocking him over on his back he placed one foot on his chest and planted a nice hard fist to his jaw.

"Why, you little…" Isshin smiled with a frown, ready to take his son on. He skillfully undid the knot on his necktie in a fracture of a second and before realizing the situation Ichigo ended up with both hands tied to his bed. Isshin snickered with a victorious smile spread on his moronic face and paced to the door, leaving his son tied up to cool himself down.

_Oh, no you don't  
_Ichigo wrapped both his legs around his father's and pulled them underneath him, making him fall right on his face. Ichigo laughed to see his father ending up with a bloody nose and teary eyes.

"In your face!" he kept laughing while trying to untie himself, but he couldn't. This was made by an expert. "Tsk… damn…"

"Hah, now I have you. You better get some muscles on that skinny ass of yours or you'll never be able to win over daddy" he winked and turn-kicked his helpless son's face, then walked out of the room with a victory dance that included wiggling his butt in a disgusting way that hurt Ichigo's eyes more than the kick he got to his face. Ichigo loosened the knot and freed his hands.

_There's one more thing…  
_"Oi, Oyaji!" Ichigo called. Not 2 seconds passed and Isshin was at the door with the goofiest smile on his face.

"You called?" he batted his eyes, Ichigo tried to ignore.

"Why do I keep passing out whenever the closet is open?" he asked. Though everything started to make sense there are some matters he couldn't understand that weren't answered. Passing out was one thing, but what is that strange air that he felt? And where the hell did that sweetness come from?

Isshin looked at Ichigo, not even one bit surprised by his question.

"Well, as far as we know something like this shouldn't happen since you still can't feel reiatsu, but because this device was exposed to different reiatsu but your own it probably affected you in this matten, this might mean you start sensing presence of spiritual force. I guess it would stop affecting you like this as time goes by, the combination of Urahara's reiatsu and mine at the same time might have been too strong for you body to bear. Bottom line is you have nothing to worry about, everything is working out just as it should." Isshin smiled. Though his explanation was mostly made of assumptions Ichigo didn't doubt it, it was logical.

_But if this really is the reason, then why…?  
_"Was there someone else besides you and Urahara-san involved in this matter?" Ichigo asked, this was one more thing he had to know.

Isshin looked at his son and took a deep breath, letting it out in a sigh.

"Why are you asking?" he questioned after pausing for a while.

Ichigo didn't want to answer this question, but he couldn't go back on his words, he needed to know. He tightened his fists and lowered his head so he was looking at the floor, covered with random red stains that came from his father's running nose.

"I… I thought I felt someone." He mumbled, raising his eyes to see his father's reaction. Isshin stayed solemn at his place.

"Who did you feel?" Isshin asked, he notice Ichigo had trouble going right to the point, but he couldn't imagine the reason for that.

"I thought…" Ichigo started and stopped almost immediately.  
_Pathetic  
_"I thought I felt Rukia."

Isshin was too surprised to hear this name, his expression said it all.

_She really was here_

_

* * *

_

I wonder how many of you know that "Farewell Swords" is the name of the last chapter Rukia appeared in.

:)


	5. Invisible Sun

hello there...  
this one took me a while to finish, and its not even finished yet. it was the hardest one to write and I'm not sure I got it right...I had to fix it many many times. well, at least now I can really say this is an IchiRuki fanfic!

lilica, I hope you will understand why Isshin said those things in chapter 4 :) and thank you for correcting me! I was really embarrassed... I know I have tons of typos, I'm really sorry for that!

like always, thank you all for reading!

**__**

_

* * *

_

_KUBO TITE OWNS BLEACH!_

**__**

Invisible Visitors

****& A Nap Under the Morning Sun

part 1

_It's low, but I can feel it.  
_Rukia was standing on the nearest light poll to Ichigo's room, staring into space when she gracefully vanished to appear again at the foot of his bed.

"Still frowning while you sleep, I see." She whispered softly and smiled. It's been a long time since she last laid her eyes on him.

Rukia could never imagine an insignificant period of time of merely 18 months could seem so long to an existence like hers, which have lived for more than 150 years.

She gently pressed a finger to the crease between his eyebrows as he opened one eye and looked straight at her face. She took a step back as he squinted. It seemed like the rays of sun that came through the curtain slot were blinding him.

Rukia knew he couldn't see or sense her presence, it was impossible for him in his state to see her in this form, and though she was absolutely aware of it she couldn't help but wonder if this fact should be doubted.

Ichigo rose from his bed and set up; looking around the room with what Rukia thought was immense confusion, his eyes scanning the walls, looking through her as if she was transparent. An ounce of disappointment awoke in her heart, facts are fact, she knew better than hoping for the impossible.

Rukia's orders while visiting the real world were clear: she is to never wear a gigai and interfere any further with the former substitute shinigami's life; she shall not appear in front of him and meddle with his destiny again, once was more than enough. Those orders were unnecessary as she perfectly understood and knew her place in his current world, it was nonexistent.

Ichigo stood up, looking very tired. Rukia noticed a lot has changed while she was absent; though the room was exactly as it was the day she left, Ichigo, though still the same was somehow totally different. He let his bright orange hair grow a bit longer than usual, as she knew him she figured he was probably being too lazy to get it cut, though it suited him nicely, she thought; his face wearing a never changing frown was more masculine, his jaw lines sharper than before, covered with thin light colored stubble; his body frame, though still the same refined slim and lightly muscled form as she remembered was now broader and stronger, he was definitely a lot taller than she recalled. In this insignificant period of time of merely 18 months that she was gone he has become a man.  
_A human living body grows very fast._

Ichigo stood in his room in front of the window, unconsciously reaching his hand to move the curtain and stared outside. Time passed by and Ichigo was still standing at his place as he suddenly turned around, passed Rukia and got out of the room looking rather absent minded.

Rukia paced to the window and looked outside, like his room it was nothing different than the last time she's been here. She sat on his bed and looked around; wondering what was it that bothered him. She could remember he was never a morning person, but his behavior today was bizarre even for him.

A few moments passed when the door opened and he stepped inside, stalling to look around in confusion yet again, walking to the window and stared outside like he did before, reaching his hand to open it. A cool wind breezed inside and he closed his eyes, the sun glittering on his face as the wind waved his hair lightly, she could see his chest slowly rising, and then pausing a few second before it descended back with a sigh. Rukia stood up and walk to his side, she only needed a glimpse to see the fire in his eyes was extinguished entirely, how the person she once knew was in deep slumber, feeling nothing but helpless without his power to protect.

When he finally opened his eyes, looking a bit more energetic, he started to strip, losing his shirt first.

"Idiot!" she muttered, blushing a deep scarlet down to her neck and turning around angrily.

_This is wrong...  
_She thought and left the room, stepping outside the window and leaving the half-naked Ichigo behind.

As she walked leisurely down familiar roads she thought of their first meeting, even after all this time she couldn't help but feel responsible for twisting his fate entirely. It was she that introduced him to powers he had to let go of, if it wasn't for her his life would have been normal, he wouldn't be mourning horribly for months over what was once his.

_He would not allow this kind of thinking  
_She sadly smiled to herself; if he knew this was on her mind he would probably scold her. Ichigo was happy enough having the opportunity to protect the ones he hold dear, even if it was for a short while, if he could have done things all over again he wouldn't change a thing, that she knew for sure.

Rukia passed by a small meadow, she looked around and realized it was not far from the place they first saw each other that crucial day. She sat down on the grass that was still a bit damp of dew the night before, staring into nothing, engulfed in thoughts of a certain little closet that felt like home to her more than anywhere else she could think of. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel of the warm sun on her skin, the wind blowing her hair, making it twirl gracefully around her head in a beautiful silky black cloud, contrasting perfectly to the smooth white of her skin.

Since she came to the real world that morning she has been feeling strangely relaxed, and after visiting the room that was once her home it intensified greatly.

The air felt heavy and forced her head down; she placed it on her knees and wrapped her hands around her thighs. Rukia felt her behavior was not like her usual self, acting so carelessly especially when she might attract trouble and put other beings but herself in danger, but it overpowered her.

_There are more than enough humans and shinigami that would manage without me in this town today, just a short while wouldn't hurt.  
_She tried to comfort herself for improper actions she could not resist and slumped on the green lawn, drifting slowly into deep sleep drowning in a dream of more than 18 months ago that made all her worries subside to nothing, a dream of a young strong man, maybe the strongest person she will ever know, standing tall and proud, so strong it was suffocating, in a small town of the real world where she did not belong and felt as if she has come back home the moment she stepped inside that room with the person she always wished to protect. She was wrapped in a sweet familiar reiatsu and couldn't feel safer; it was warm and cold, damp and dry, soft and hard.

* * *

"Umm, Kuchiki-san, don't you need to head over there?" the voice of a teenaged boy reached sleepy ears.

"Mm… yes… tell Nii-sama I'll go back tomorrow…" Rukia answered without opening her eyes, turning to the other side and curling into a little ball against a welcoming, warm surface.

_Huh?  
_Rukia's eyes shot open as she realized something with familiar reiatsu was cushioning her head, it was solid and warm, and was definitely not there when she fell asleep. She looked up to find Ichigo lying beside her, sleeping soundly with one arm under her neck. She quickly stood up and looked down on his sleeping face utterly surprised.  
_How long has he been here?_

Suddenly she remembered another person has witnessed this embarrassment.

"Since when are you standing there, Jinta-kun?" she didn't dare face him and kept her eyes low, lingering on Ichigo's sleeping, frowning face.

"A while, Urahara-san told me to keep an eye on him. I didn't know if I should wake you up, but you're late, it's already noon." He answered quickly; it was clear in his voice it was just as embarrassing for him.

Rukia sighed and raised her eyes so they met his.

"I see. It is rather late, you did well. I'll go check on the others; you stay with him."

"Sure thing." He nodded as she disappeared.

Rukia kept scolding herself while heading over to the Kurosaki's house, how could she fall asleep right in the open and wake up to find Ichigo by her side when she didn't even notice he was right there all this time? Though it felt nostalgic and comfortable to come back she could never imagine things would turn out this way, it was absolutely uncharacteristic for her. Wondering when did she become so unbelievably useless.

_Have they already left?  
_She wondered as she got closer to the house, she couldn't feel any presence in Ichigo's room. Rukia came through a wall to realize a massive amount of reiatsu was flooding this room from the inside, coming from 2 men wearing shihakusho.

"What are you doing?" she questioned, glaring at Urahara that had his head buried inside her closet.

"Oh, so you decided to join us, supervisor-san." He smiled tauntingly; lifting his hat just a bit so he could meet her glare. Embarrassed, Rukia diverted her eyes from him.

"I had some urgent business to attend to." She lied, it was not necessary for him to know everything. Urahara raised one eyebrow at her and smiled knowingly.

"I see." he chuckled and buried his head back in the closet.

"Why did you release your Zanpakuto in a place like this?" she asked with a furious voice and a twitching brow, shooting daggers with her eyes at Renji who had his Zabimaru not in shikai – but bankai, taking most of the space in the room to contain its giant form.

"Relax, Rukia-chan, we're just testing this baby's capacity." Isshin smiled and gestured with his head to the closet, where Urahara was planting his head. He was standing on a small part of Ichigo's bed that wasn't occupied by Hihio Zabimaru, his back pressed to a wall, holding a Zanpakuto with both his hands.

"We needed Renji to release as much reiatsu as he could and figured the best way is call out his bankai, since his reiatsu is used as glue to connect all the vertebras, it is the most efficient this way." Isshin added.

"Kuchiki-san, you and I both know it is more than likely Kurosaki-kun will recover his powers quickly and greatly. We must make sure this pump can withstand a massive abuse, which is why we use Kurosaki-san's reiatsu combined with Renji's to test it." Urahara stated from inside the closet.

"You couldn't feel anything while outside, right? This pump really is something else." Renji was next to appreciate Urahara's invention but Rukia couldn't argue, it really was something of great capacity to not explode for all the reiatsu it needed to consume in every passing second they were there.

"I see. Good, Ukitake-taichou would be pleased to know all preparations went well. If there is nothing more we will head back to soul society first thing tomorrow morning, as planned."

"Well, the pump is all set. I apologize for taking your time to test it, but I believe we are finished here." Urahara got his head out of the closet wearing a winner smile, pleased with the result this test produced.

Isshin sheeted his Zanpakuto and Renji followed his example, freeing the small room from the enormous size of his bankai. Rukia shoved one hand to an inner pocket and sighed with annoyance.

"I need to report my division that the installment was completed successfully, please excuse me." She bowed lightly and flashed out of their sight, leaving the three of them behind wondering what could have happen to make her so agitated.

The 13th division was assigned to Karakura-town, having an officer to do shinigami duties in the real world. The orders from the captain clearly stated to keep a close eye on the former shinigami substitute, all the matters regarding Kurosaki Ichigo were to be reported directly to him. As Ukitake-taichou was informed of Ichigo's progress Rukia was ordered to supervise the work Urahara kindly volunteered to do, making Renji tag along almost forcibly. Rukia was reluctant to go there again, seeing the man who had a great influence on her life, but couldn't see her. She preferred to leave the past behind, some things were too painful for her to face. Though she only knew Ichigo for a short while she felt as if she knew him her entire life, maybe even more. As she thought, Ichigo was a broken man, even though he tried to hide that fact it was clear in his eyes that he lost all the passion he had, that he had lost a part of himself he couldn't live without, it hurt too much to witness what she already knew with her own eyes. The person who longed to protect now needs to be protected without him even knowing, that, in her eyes, was a very cruel turn his destiny has taken. Rukia hoped with all her heart Ichigo's eyes will shine brightly with the passion and strength he once had, praying for him to be whole again, to be Ichigo.

* * *

I hope part 2 wouldn't take so long to write...

:)


End file.
